According to Globo Esporte and local outlet Nosso Palestra, the deal is at an advanced stage, with Só expected to travel to Brazil next week to finalise the move. He will initially join Palmeiras's Under-20 squad, with a pathway to the first team available if he impresses.
Burnley confirmed Só is one of five Under-18 players being released, with all five contracts expiring on June 30. During the 2025-26 season, he made 24 appearances across Burnley's youth teams, including two appearances and 57 minutes for the Under-18s in National League Cup Group A fixtures against Solihull Moors and Rochdale, and a substitute appearance against Liverpool's Under-21s in Premier League 2.
Before joining Burnley, Só spent time in Newcastle United's academy setup. He is described as a box-to-box midfielder capable of operating in a deeper role, with versatility cited by Brazilian outlets as a key factor behind interest from multiple countries.
Palmeiras's recruitment was driven by the club's Centro de Inteligência e Mercado — its intelligence and market department, responsible for monitoring talent across global leagues — which identified Só's potential and recommended the club pursue the signing. Palmeiras's representatives presented Só with a development plan focused on technical progression, competitive minutes and long-term career-building, a pitch that Brazilian reports suggest proved decisive over offers to remain in Europe.
The move costs Palmeiras nothing, with Só arriving as a free agent once his Burnley deal lapses. For a club with an established reputation for developing young talent and selling players on to Europe at significant profit — Palmeiras's academy has produced a steady stream of transfers to clubs across the continent in recent years — a 17-year-old midfielder arriving for nothing represents exactly the kind of low-risk opportunity the club's recruitment model is built around.
Whether Só becomes part of that pipeline back to Europe, or simply another name in Palmeiras's deep reserve of academy talent, will not be known for years. But for a player released by an English Championship club this month, a route to one of South America's most storied academies represents a second chance most departing teenagers do not get.